Jane Austen on new £10 notes

Bank of England persuaded by online petition

Change.org set up a petition that was signed by 35,000 people. Credit: change.org

The Bank of England was persuaded by an online petition started by a freelance journalist on the campaign site change.org, after it announced Elizabeth Fry would be replaced by Winston Churchill on £5 notes. Journalist Caroline Criado-Perez, who started the petition, said:

"Without this campaign, without the 35,000 people who signed our Change.org petition, the Bank of England would have unthinkingly airbrushed women out of history."